Tomorrow

Set in the World of Warcraft Universe, this is a tale about 2 young lovers in the Scarlet Crusade torn apart by fate and death.

Summary:

Jake is a young and kind-hearted member of the Scarlet Crusade who falls in love with his childhood friend Rachel, but the two of them are eventually torn apart when Jake is killed and raised into undeath, eventually becoming one of the Forsaken.

1. Capital City

"Tomorrow" - By Max Goh

Captain Valyn Pureblood looked down at the young boy sitting on the bed. The boy, no more than 10 years old, had a haunted look in his eyes and hugged himself tightly. He kept his eyes fixed steadily at his feet. The boy was clothed in tattered and dirty garments.

“I found him by the edge of Lordamere Lake,” Valyn explained to his wife, Tessa, standing beside him. “His parents were killed when the undead fiends invaded Silverpine last night. My men and I came across the attack during our patrol, and managed to save him.”

“He looks so young…” Tessa commented as she poured a cup of warm water for the boy. “Are we going to take care of him?”

Valyn frowned. “At least until someone else offers to do so,” he told Tessa. Tessa approached the boy and offered him the cup of water. He accepted it with trembling hands. Tessa sat down on the bed beside him.

“You poor thing,” she said, reaching out to stroke his bright blonde hair. He visibly flinched but did not move. “What’s your name?”

Jake nodded slowly, still withdrawn. Tessa gently took him by the hand. “Come Jake, let me introduce you to my daughter.”

The two of them stood up and Valyn followed them outside the courtyard of their house, where a young girl, about the same age as Jake, was playing. Tessa led Jake over and introduced them. “Jake, this is Rachel,” Tessa told him. “Rachel, this is Jake. Your father found him in the forest and brought him back to our home.”

Rachel smiled warmly at Jake. “Hi Jake!”

Jake smiled back shyly. “H…Hi.” He turned and looked around at his surroundings.

“This is the Capital City of Lordaeron, Jake,” Valyn explained. “The King lives here.”

Jake’s eyes widened in amazement. He gaped in awe at the high stone walls, and all the city guards patrolling the streets.

Rachel grabbed Jake’s hand. “Let me show you around,” she offered with another smile, and led him off.

Valyn smiled to himself as he watched the two children run off into the distance. He straightened his armor and turned to Tessa. “I have to return to the palace now,” he told her. “The Prince is returning today.”

“With some good news, I hope.” Valyn replied as he mounted his horse. “Perhaps he managed to put down the Scourge in Northrend. We’ll know soon.”

Tessa said goodbye and Valyn rode off, towards the royal palace.

----------

An hour later, Jake and Rachel were looking around the royal gardens, marveling at the colorful flowers in the gardens, when chaos suddenly erupted.

Screams rang out from the royal palace in the distance. Rachel and Jake ran out of the gardens and were met by a wave of panicked citizens running away from a knight dressed in pitch-black armor. The knight was wearing a hood that obscured his face. As Jake and Rachel watched, the knight cut down a nearby guard that tried to attack him.

Rachel screamed in terror and grabbed Jake by his hand. “We have to get back to the house! Daddy will know what to do!”

As they ran back towards Valyn’s house, they witnessed several ghouls rampaging through the streets and several guards fighting back. At the sight of the undead, Jake was seized up with terror and Rachel had to practically drag him along.

They made it back to the house unharmed, where Valyn was helping Tessa to pack her belongings. The two of them were very relieved to see that Jake and Rachel were unharmed. “Quickly, children!” Valyn urged. “You have to leave the city as soon as possible! Pack your stuff!”

“What’s going on?” Rachel asked as she grabbed a small pouch and started tossing coins into it. Jake helped Tessa pack.

“Prince Arthas has murdered his father…I can’t believe it myself,” Valyn said softly.

Tessa nodded uncertainly and led the children away, towards the city gates, as Valyn drew his sword and began fighting a ghoul that tried to stop them.

As Tessa and the children got closer to the city gates, they met a group of warriors who were trying to fight their way out of the city. Tessa ran up to their leader, a big towering man with dark skin and wild dark hair sitting astride a chestnut-colored horse. He turned and saw Tessa and the children.

“This is no place for women and children!” He exclaimed in a booming voice. “The undead are all over the place!”

“Please, you have to help us!” Tessa pleaded with the big man.

“The city is lost, woman! Come with us and you’ll live!” He urged, waving a hand at his men trying to fight their way through to the city gates.

Tessa nodded and told Rachel and Jake to follow the man. “My name is Abbendis,” the dark man told Tessa. “Your children will be safe with me. Now, forward!”

Tessa began to follow them, but suddenly stopped. “Wait, my husband! He’s still in the city! We have to find him!”

“There’s no time for that, milady!” One of Abbendis’ men snapped at her. “The city is overrun! You’ll never make it!”

Tessa shook her head frantically in denial. “No, no, I have to find him!”

Swiftly, she darted off, back towards the inner depths of the capital city. One of Abbendis’ men tried to grab her, but she twisted out of his grip and continued running.

“Mom!” Rachel called after her. “Come back!”

No sooner had those words left Rachel’s lips when a ghoul appeared and saw Tessa. The ghoul immediately pounced on Tessa, pinning her to the ground and ripping off one of her arms. It began tearing into Tessa, eating her. Abbendis cursed in anger and fired an arrow at the ghoul. The arrow punched through the ghoul cleanly but that didn’t faze it and it continued devouring Tessa.

“MUMMY!” Rachel screamed, hysterical, and tried to run to Tessa, but Abbendis grabbed her and lifted her off the ground, onto his horse. One of his men swooped Jake up in his muscular arms in case Jake decided to run off as well.

“Leave her,” Abbendis commanded, “there are more undead coming! Out of the city, now!” Abbendis turned his horse around and began riding at breakneck speed towards the city gates, holding onto Rachel with an iron grip as she flailed and protested. The rest of his men followed him out of the city.

As Jake silently followed Abbendis and his band of soldiers towards the Plaguelands, he turned back one last time and saw the capital city in flames. He could still hear the screams of the dying men and women inside the city walls. It was a sight that would be forever seared into his memory.

Rachel and Jake never saw Tessa or Valyn again after that day.Captain Valyn Pureblood looked down at the young boy sitting on the bed. The boy, no more than 10 years old, had a haunted look in his eyes and hugged himself tightly. He kept his eyes fixed steadily at his feet. The boy was clothed in tattered and dirty garments.

“I found him by the edge of Lordamere Lake,” Valyn explained to his wife, Tessa, standing beside him. “His parents were killed when the undead fiends invaded Silverpine last night. My men and I came across the attack during our patrol, and managed to save him.”

“He looks so young…” Tessa commented as she poured a cup of warm water for the boy. “Are we going to take care of him?”

Valyn frowned. “At least until someone else offers to do so,” he told Tessa. Tessa approached the boy and offered him the cup of water. He accepted it with trembling hands. Tessa sat down on the bed beside him.

“You poor thing,” she said, reaching out to stroke his bright blonde hair. He visibly flinched but did not move. “What’s your name?”

Jake nodded slowly, still withdrawn. Tessa gently took him by the hand. “Come Jake, let me introduce you to my daughter.”

The two of them stood up and Valyn followed them outside the courtyard of their house, where a young girl, about the same age as Jake, was playing. Tessa led Jake over and introduced them. “Jake, this is Rachel,” Tessa told him. “Rachel, this is Jake. Your father found him in the forest and brought him back to our home.”

Rachel smiled warmly at Jake. “Hi Jake!”

Jake smiled back shyly. “H…Hi.” He turned and looked around at his surroundings.

“This is the Capital City of Lordaeron, Jake,” Valyn explained. “The King lives here.”

Jake’s eyes widened in amazement. He gaped in awe at the high stone walls, and all the city guards patrolling the streets.

Rachel grabbed Jake’s hand. “Let me show you around,” she offered with another smile, and led him off.

Valyn smiled to himself as he watched the two children run off into the distance. He straightened his armor and turned to Tessa. “I have to return to the palace now,” he told her. “The Prince is returning today.”

“With some good news, I hope.” Valyn replied as he mounted his horse. “Perhaps he managed to put down the Scourge in Northrend. We’ll know soon.”

Tessa said goodbye and Valyn rode off, towards the royal palace.

----------

An hour later, Jake and Rachel were looking around the royal gardens, marveling at the colorful flowers in the gardens, when chaos suddenly erupted.

Screams rang out from the royal palace in the distance. Rachel and Jake ran out of the gardens and were met by a wave of panicked citizens running away from a knight dressed in pitch-black armor. The knight was wearing a hood that obscured his face. As Jake and Rachel watched, the knight cut down a nearby guard that tried to attack him.

Rachel screamed in terror and grabbed Jake by his hand. “We have to get back to the house! Daddy will know what to do!”

As they ran back towards Valyn’s house, they witnessed several ghouls rampaging through the streets and several guards fighting back. At the sight of the undead, Jake was seized up with terror and Rachel had to practically drag him along.

They made it back to the house unharmed, where Valyn was helping Tessa to pack her belongings. The two of them were very relieved to see that Jake and Rachel were unharmed. “Quickly, children!” Valyn urged. “You have to leave the city as soon as possible! Pack your stuff!”

“What’s going on?” Rachel asked as she grabbed a small pouch and started tossing coins into it. Jake helped Tessa pack.

“Prince Arthas has murdered his father…I can’t believe it myself,” Valyn said softly.

Tessa nodded uncertainly and led the children away, towards the city gates, as Valyn drew his sword and began fighting a ghoul that tried to stop them.

As Tessa and the children got closer to the city gates, they met a group of warriors who were trying to fight their way out of the city. Tessa ran up to their leader, a big towering man with dark skin and wild dark hair sitting astride a chestnut-colored horse. He turned and saw Tessa and the children.

“This is no place for women and children!” He exclaimed in a booming voice. “The undead are all over the place!”

“Please, you have to help us!” Tessa pleaded with the big man.

“The city is lost, woman! Come with us and you’ll live!” He urged, waving a hand at his men trying to fight their way through to the city gates.

Tessa nodded and told Rachel and Jake to follow the man. “My name is Abbendis,” the dark man told Tessa. “Your children will be safe with me. Now, forward!”

Tessa began to follow them, but suddenly stopped. “Wait, my husband! He’s still in the city! We have to find him!”

“There’s no time for that, milady!” One of Abbendis’ men snapped at her. “The city is overrun! You’ll never make it!”

Tessa shook her head frantically in denial. “No, no, I have to find him!”

Swiftly, she darted off, back towards the inner depths of the capital city. One of Abbendis’ men tried to grab her, but she twisted out of his grip and continued running.

“Mom!” Rachel called after her. “Come back!”

No sooner had those words left Rachel’s lips when a ghoul appeared and saw Tessa. The ghoul immediately pounced on Tessa, pinning her to the ground and ripping off one of her arms. It began tearing into Tessa, eating her. Abbendis cursed in anger and fired an arrow at the ghoul. The arrow punched through the ghoul cleanly but that didn’t faze it and it continued devouring Tessa.

“MUMMY!” Rachel screamed, hysterical, and tried to run to Tessa, but Abbendis grabbed her and lifted her off the ground, onto his horse. One of his men swooped Jake up in his muscular arms in case Jake decided to run off as well.

“Leave her,” Abbendis commanded, “there are more undead coming! Out of the city, now!” Abbendis turned his horse around and began riding at breakneck speed towards the city gates, holding onto Rachel with an iron grip as she flailed and protested. The rest of his men followed him out of the city.

As Jake silently followed Abbendis and his band of soldiers towards the Plaguelands, he turned back one last time and saw the capital city in flames. He could still hear the screams of the dying men and women inside the city walls. It was a sight that would be forever seared into his memory.